U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu, U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced today the site of the new Solar Demonstration Zone to demonstrate cutting-edge solar energy technologies. The Solar Demonstration Zone will be located in the southwest corner of the Nevada Test Site, a former nuclear site, on lands owned by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and administered by DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Secretaries Chu and Salazar signed an interagency Memorandum of Understanding that will enable the Department of Energy to develop innovative solar energy projects at the Nevada Test Site. These projects will serve as proving grounds for new solar technologies, providing a critical link between DOE’s advanced technology development and full-scale commercialization efforts.
“The Nevada Test Site is about to play a new role in securing America’s future—but instead of testing nuclear weapons, we will test new solar technologies that will help put America on a sustainable energy path,” said Secretary Chu. “Working closely with the Department of Interior, and with the critical leadership of Senator Reid, we will demonstrate technologies that will lower the cost of solar energy, accelerate the pace of innovation, and help build a clean energy economy.”